


true colors

by ardat_yakshi_stole_my_cookie



Category: Tenet (2020)
Genre: Coping with anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28069737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardat_yakshi_stole_my_cookie/pseuds/ardat_yakshi_stole_my_cookie
Summary: sometimes the world becomes too much, but Neil picked up a few tricks along the way and knows how to make it a bit more bearable
Relationships: Neil/Reader
Kudos: 14





	true colors

**Author's Note:**

> Just a tiny comfort blurb, because we all need it from time to time.

It was never caused by anything specific. And maybe that was the part that made you feel even worse. Because you had it all, at least all that really mattered to you. You had _him_. And even that wasn’t enough to push away the feeling of the weight of the world on your shoulders - not for too long, not completely. That pressure on your chest, clenching your heart, making you struggle for anything more than a shallow breath. This dreadful void inside of you. That anxiety creeping just under your skin, aimed at everything and nothing in particular. And the impossible mixture of overwhelming numbness and having all your nerves exposed.

It came and went as it pleased, sometimes lasting a few hours. Sometimes a few days. Sometimes even longer. You’d learned how to live with it. It’d been your constant companion, after all. You could cope with it. You could hide it.

But not from Neil.

He saw it in your hollow stare when you thought he wasn’t looking. In your slumped shoulders and the slight tremble of your fingers on the cup of tea. In the smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. In the way you tensed and wrapped yourself in the blankets instead of seeking his closeness as if there was something spiky in your presence, and you didn’t want him to feel it. 

He’d seen it many times over the years, and even though he knew it’d eventually pass, his heart always ached. But he knew what he could do, and that meant being there for you, reminding you that you were not alone, that he was ready to take whatever burden you’d like to share with him. 

It wasn’t always a spoken reminder. Instead, it was that longer look into your eyes until he was sure you actually saw him, the blue irises like anchors grounding you in reality. Or his hugs, lasting till the moment your body relaxed and you melted into his embrace. He would then chuckle softly and kiss your hair, his way of saying _“there you are”_ , as if you finally came back home after being gone for way too long. 

And that little thing that he did when he wrapped the arms around you, pressing himself to your back, pecking your shoulder and watching what you were doing over there - his chest heaving slowly and steadily against you, making your body tune into the rhythm of his breaths without giving it too much thought from your side. 

Sometimes it was a part of basic things, like bringing you glasses of water throughout the day to make sure you stayed hydrated. Or cooking your favorite comfort food, doing his hilarious take on a French accent along the way, as if he was a chef on a cooking show - just to make you laugh, and never failing to do that. He would smack you playfully with a tea towel, always present on his shoulder whenever he cooked, only making you cackle even more as a result.

If he knew you had enough energy to go out, he would make sure to take you someplace quiet, with not too many people around. He would find new trails and destinations for your walks, where you could just wander for hours, leaving dark thoughts and the heaviness of heart behind you piece by piece with every step along the way. 

Every so often, when you’d rather stayed at home, he fixed some drinks, put on a silly song and you danced the night away until you both ended up breathless, giggling as you tried to top each other with the choice of cheesy tracks that followed the first one.

Other times, he chose something slower and took you in his arms, and as you swayed together, he whispered sweet nothings into your ear. Or pressed his forehead to yours, telling you how thankful he was to have you in his life. How happy he was, just being next to you. He whispered the most tender words of admiration, his voice soft, his brows furrowed slightly as he gazed at you lovingly. And as your heart melted and your eyes sparkled, he would tilt your chin and kiss you gently, brushing a strand of hair from your temple.

During restless nights, he would take a book from the nightstand and read it to you. Playing with your hair, tracing small patterns on your back as you placed your head on his chest. His soothing voice mixed with his heartbeat as his warmth enveloped you, the sweet combination making your breath deeper and calmer, finally lulling you to sleep. 

Neil would then stay awake for a little while longer, adoring your peaceful face, a shade of smile on your parted lips. Then he would slowly fall asleep with you, the light of his life, safe in his arms. 


End file.
